Running back LeSean McCoy took home FedEx Ground Player of the Week honors three times in 2013, and on Saturday it was announced that McCoy had been named FedEx Ground Player of the Year in a vote determined by the fans. McCoy will receive the award officially during Saturday night's NFL Honors ceremony.
The ever-elusive McCoy had big games against Washington and Chicago in Weeks 1 and 16, respectively, but his finest performance came against the Detroit Lions in Week 14. Somewhere beneath the snowstorm that blanketed Philadelphia on that December afternoon, McCoy ran for an Eagles single-game record 217 yards, finding the end zone twice in a come-from-behind 34-20 victory.
While those games featured standout performances, McCoy played at a consistently high level for the entire 2013 season. His 1,607 rushing yards were not only the most in the NFL, but they are also the most by any Eagles player in franchise history, breaking Wilbert Montgomery's mark of 1,512 in 1979. He became the first Eagle to win the league rushing title since Steve Van Buren in 1949.
This is the second FedEx Ground Player of the Year Award for McCoy, who also took home the honors in 2011 when he rushed for 1,309 yards and scored a league- and franchise-record 17 rushing touchdowns. McCoy beat out Jamaal Charles of the Kansas City Chiefs and Matt Forte of the Chicago Bears to bring home the award.
McCoy's award was the highlight of a busy night for the Eagles. Nick Foles also was awarded the "Greatness on the Road" award for his seven-touchdown performance against the Oakland Raiders and former Eagles defensive end Claude Humphrey was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
McCoy also finished second only to Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning in the voting for AP Offensive Player of the Year.
Elsewhere in the just-missed category, left tackle Jason Peters tied for second in the voting for Comeback Player of the Year. After missing the entire 2012 season because of an Achilles injury (or two), Peters returned to his Pro Bowl form in starting all 16 games for the Eagles in 2013. He received eight votes for Comeback Player of the Year, tying with Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno in falling short of Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers.
Finally, head coach Chip Kelly took a 4-12 Eagles team and led them to a division title in his first season in the NFL. As a result, he finished fourth in the voting for Coach of the Year with four votes. Panthers head coach Ron Rivera took home the honors.
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